Recent news round up – Maze Hill housing approved, Eltham development and parking, Deptford homes etc

The impending General Election has put local events on the back burner in recent weeks. However, there’s been a fair few small stories about so here’s a round-up.

Firstly, Greenwich Council approved 15 homes by Maze Hill station. These are to be council homes which is welcome. I covered the plans here. These are a least a bit higher density than previous council homes built about five years ago and appear streets ahead in terms of design:

A decision for flats at Orangery Lane in Eltham (to the rear of the High Street) was deferred at a planning meeting this past week for a site visit. Here’s a post on these plans.

Parking still appears to be a mess in the area along with, well, just about everywhere in the borough except central Greenwich (funnily enough). Many cars are parking on expensive new paving installed in recent months increasing the risk of cracks and also leaving oil stains behind. Enforcement is minimal.

It’s yet another reason why Greenwich Council’s expected parking income will be £2 million out this year and has been each year for at least five years. That’s £10 million that has to be made up wither with higher taxes or cuts elsewhere. If they can’t enforce on a major High Street after £6 million+ street work then someone needs to take responsibility. Failures have gone on for years and is costing dearly.

Endless, haphazard, cheap-looking and often pedestrian-obstructive street furniture and clutter is no substitute to having staff patrolling and fining those parking on pavements. Sure, it has a role in certain areas but so often it isn’t thought through.

I know some defend the poor parking seen as apparently the road boundary is now hard to understand. I wonder if many of those have ever left the area? The design is far from unique across London and the UK. Looking at photos and it seems many are chancers who don’t care and don’t want to walk five minutes from car parks.

The argument about disabled parking is perhaps more valid and could be looked into but many parking on paving do not have blue badges.

The main issue is Greenwich Council have a skeleton staff for monitoring parking and the effects are seen all over – whether outside schools across the borough endangering kids, on a brand-new £1.2 million bus and cycle lane, on expensively regenerated High Streets, on grass and greenery where children should be playing or double yellows and limited parking zones by shopping parades being used all day every day preventing visitors finding parking.

It’d be cost-neutral to hire more staff. Any additional income could also be used to improve cycle lanes, roads, paving, shopping parades and much more. Why haven’t Greenwich Council done much more for five years? A failing parking strategy a couple of years ago was it. It hasn’t worked.

Over in Deptford

Here’s a pic of Deptford Creek showing the latest with developments:

There was a recent consultation on Sun Wharf. This is adjacent to the Kent Wharf development (on the left of the above photo) on the site of Jones Furniture Hire. Deptford Dame covered it here.

Of more interest is the development planned on the Greenwich side on Norman Road. I couldn’t get a pic but the site appeared to be cleared. This was approved for the site: